The Proteins Gordon Research Conference, held every two years, seeks to bring together scientists of diverse technical backgrounds who are actively involved in the study of protein structure and function. The Proteins GRC has distinguished itself by the breadth and consequence of the research presented at the meeting over the course of its history. In choosing topics and speakers, we sought input from the protein science community, incorporating many of the suggestions offered into the 2005 program. Virginia L. Rath and Franz X. Schmid were Vice-Chairs of the 2003 Proteins GRC. In addition to the scheduled talks in the 2003 meeting, posters were also selected for short presentations, providing an arena for less established scientists to present their work. In 2005, we have added an additional slot for posters to augment these opportunities. The organizers are particularly interested in supporting the participation of minorities and women at the conference and to ensure appropriate representation. The research, discussions and the informal interactions of the Proteins GRC should directly benefit biomedical research across diverse fields. The topics chosen for the 2005 conference were selected based on previous conferences, suggestions from the protein science community, recent scientific advances and the quality of the speakers. They are: 1. Protein folding and dynamics 2. Protein design 3. Natively disordered proteins 4. The structure and function of membrane proteins 5. Proteins in Disease 6. Protein complexes and networks